


butterfly wings

by melancholarie



Series: distant smiles [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Asriel POV, Chara's death is mentioned but not described in detail, Gen, Platonic Relationships, even the flowey bit, gender neutral chara, this is before any of the other kids have fallen down, violence towards flying insects
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-11
Updated: 2016-06-11
Packaged: 2018-07-14 09:21:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7165361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melancholarie/pseuds/melancholarie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a few snippets about two children who aren't really that okay and the color gold in their dad's throne room</p>
<p>for my chara</p>
            </blockquote>





	butterfly wings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [teddybearsandmeme](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=teddybearsandmeme).



The two of you sat idly, reclining in the grass covering the throne room. Being early in the morning, the light was wonderfully soft and not too warm- your favorite time of day; however, that was quite a different story for your sibling.

“I’m bo-o-ored here,” Chara drawled, leaning back on an arm as they watched a lone yellow butterfly wander around your patch of grass.

“Wanna go to Waterfall?” You suggested- scooting forwards to enclose the insect, gently cradling it in your cupped paws. This wasn’t new, seeing as how often they found the large, empty room boring. (You always admired it- much like your father, you found a quiet beauty in the way the sun stole its way into patterns along the plant growth; as if it knew that the Underground was not the place for its regal light.)

“Nah. Wanna play tag?”

Memories of the last time the two of you played were sure to rear their head, faint echoes of ‘ _Ow, hey, you’re being too rough!_ ’ and childish laughter, the phantom pain of fingernails digging into your arm. “I’d… rather not. At least, not right now. Maybe later.”

You and Chara sat in a comfortable, yet tense silence for a while; the bug gently beating its frail wings against you in a feeble attempt at escape. It was already convinced that all was doomed for it, frantically seeking freedom all because you had simply hidden it in darkness. The poor creature touched your heart, you hadn’t wanted to hurt it, just to hold- so you slowly released your grip. Paws gently fanning out together, you raised your arms a bit to admire the creature; the sunlight dancing off from crumpled wings. The butterfly straightened out- finding a new hope, you thought- before hesitantly fluttering out into the open air and being abruptly snatched out of the air.

Its golden-yellow wings seemed to tremble under their red, unwavering gaze- you shiver, knowing all too well that stare brought whenever pinned upon you. Poor butterfly. You’ll be okay, butterfly.

“This color… reminds me of the flowers.”

“Flowers?” You tilted your head, a floppy ear sliding over your shoulder. Echo flowers were blue.

They ignored you and continued talking aloud, tilting the butterfly slightly and gripping its slender abdomen. “So _fragile_. So quick to give up, to give into fear… **how pitiful.** ” The corners of their mouth pulled down as two fingers pinched one paper-thin wing. “Just like everyone else up there,” they nodded towards the rocky ceiling above, stare still focused on the insect. “Sure, it may look real pretty, but for what purpose? To be brought down as just that- _something pretty?_ They’re just sniveling little **pests** ,” they hissed, emphasizing the word ‘pests’ as they gracefully plucked off one wing.

You blanched, eyes wide, as the insect wriggled desperately in their grip.

“Listen, Asriel. Up there, they’re all worthless once you strip them down to their soul.” The other wing soon followed, gently swirling to the ground. You looked up to find Chara calmly watching you. “They all… like to lie, and hide behind words and intentions. I know. I saw it with my own eyes.” They dropped the dying butterfly as they turned so you sat face to face, red eyes seeking validation. “… Asriel?”

Silence.

“… Yeah… I mean, I guess… you would know better than I would, Chara.”

“I would, and I do.”

They sounded satisfied, but you could only stare dumbly at the golden-yellow wings on the grassy throne floor.

 

* * *

 

 

The flowers.

 

You felt like throwing up. No, check that, you are going to throw up.

Why did you listen to them? That was a terrible plan. Nobody should’ve had to die. Not your sibling; your dearest, special friend. Why did you let them die?

Mom was off crying, who knows where Dad was- and here you are. Kneeling on the ground of an empty room with shaking hands and eyes brimming with tears like the little weakling you know you are.

You were supposed to take their soul- take it to the surface. Bring them… bring them to their village. Pass through the barrier with the strength of the two of you combined and, well…

Take six more human souls to shatter the barrier and free all of monsterkind of the confines of the damp, dark cave in which humanity had trapped them.

It would be easy- you and Chara had talked about it a lot recently. A magic-wielding monster soul, with the power of a human… could take them out easily. (‘ **They wouldn’t even stand a chance,** ’ their eyes glinting with some strange dark, underlying emotion as they grinned at you.)

 

Okay. Don’t worry about it, Asriel. You just have to … make a checklist. Mom always said checklists help keep people organized and on track, even if you’re under stress.

Yeah, okay. Let’s make a checklist.

 

First of all: Absorb Chara’s soul before it’s gone.   
Second: Tell Mom and Dad you’re going out. Don’t want them to be worried.   
Third: Pass through the barrier, with Chara at your side.   
Fourth: Free everyone. Maybe stop to smell a few flowers on the way there, see those golden flowers they’d spoken about so  often.

 

… man, this was rough to do without them here. It hadn't even been a day and you already missed them like hell.

But that's enough of that- sitting here being sad and staring at the ground isn’t going to help liberate the Underground.

 

* * *

 

 

It was almost like flowers seemed to be some sort of recurring theme here. (You glare at your new body, bitterly mourning your lack of arms.) And to rub salt into an already stinging wound, you had to be one of those flowers. One of the ones that had greeted you as you rose from beneath, cheerfully waving hello to you underneath the blue sky, the shining sun.

The sharp contrast of golden petals against lush green grass, whispering a memory of butterflies and red eyes.

Stupid, stupid flowers. They did nothing but bring some sort of false hope about what the surface really was. Who lived on the surface. What the surface was like, how it felt.

It probably felt nice, you guess. Whatever that meant now, you almost feel sure that it should’ve felt nice.

(Not the way it really was- the struggle between some new and strange part of you on whether to peacefully go home, or to rise up and kill; to sit down and enjoy how the real wind felt, to steal their souls, all of them, to- to- )

 

You should’ve felt melancholy, or sad, or something. Right? But you didn’t.

At least you didn’t feel good, either.

 

But... hey. As long as you could LOAD, as long as you could go back and try to do whatever you could….

 

You’ll bring Chara back.

You'll be friends again, just like before.

You’ll find a way, you’re absolutely certain.

( It’s not like you’d ever run out of time to try, anyways. )

**Author's Note:**

> there's a moth chillin w me on my keyboard. it's been here for the last hour and is my new co-author now. its name is bentley.  
> this was sitting unfinished ~300 words in my notes so i tidied it up a bit with bentley's grand expertise
> 
> thanks for reading.


End file.
